Shelving structure



P fl 1951 M. ROGGERQ 2,547,597

SHELVING s'muc'rvan.

Filed May 23, 1945 s sheets-sum: 1

[Men/Tn: Mario RUGGERO g' a 4 I (2 P INVENTOR.

April 3, 1951 M. RQEGERO 2,547,597 SHELVING STRUCTURE Filed May 23. 1946 v s Sheets-Shoot 2 MARIO ROGGE R0 ATTORNEY April 3, 1951 M. ROGGERO 2,547,597 SHELVING STRUCTURE Fi led May 2s, 1 94s 3 Sheets-Sheet s INVEN TOR. MARIO ROGGERO BY ATTORNEY downwardly in front of the stationary Patented Apr. 3, 1951 Mario Roggero, Genova-Sestri, Italy, assignor to Pier Carlo Ricchiardi, Borne, Italy Application May 23, 1946, Serial No. 671,712

This invention relates to articles of furniture and more particularly to shelving structures hava ,fing superimposed shelving sections. 7

" object of the invention isv to provide a shelving structure, wherein the upper movable shelving section may be readily-lowered, or lifted without any angular shifting or swingingthereof.

Another object of the invention is to arrange track-forming elements for the movable shelving ."section as well as the counterweights connected;

with said movable shelving section insuch a mannor, that they do not occupy useful space within the shelving structure and do not affect the outer appearance thereof.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following specification when read in conjunction with the accompanying, drawings forming part of this specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shelving structure according to the invention, which is provided with a series of movable shelving sections normally superimposed over 'a series of stationary shelving sections, and which includes a mechanism for displacing the movable shelving sections shelving sections; a a

Figure 2 illustrates diagrammatically, in side elevation, the arrangement of guides and other elements of the shelving structure according to Fig: 1 for displacing section; a Figs. 2a and 2b are fragmentary diagrammatical views, similar to that shown in Fig. 2, illusftratihg the upper movable shelving section in two different positions;

Figure 3 Figure 4 illustrates an engaging roller of the :movable shelving section in engagement with a track-forming member of the structure.

According to the invention, an article of furni ture, e. g. a shelving structure as shown in Figure 1', may comprise a number of elementary shelves composed of a lower. fixed part prstationary shelving section M and an upper-part 'or movupper position shown in full lines in Fig. 2' into "a lowered position F"shown in dash and dot lines in said Fig. 2 by a pull on one of the handles H attached to the bottom part ofthe-movable .sections F. Of course, as will be better seen hereinafter, by the samemechanismit is possible the upper movable shelving is a diagrammatic view of another embodiment of the invention, and

to returnpwith-thesame easiness, the movable shelving sections from the position indicated by F into the position F.

As shown at the right-hand side of Figure l,

' the shelves may be protected by shutters; or the like A, hinged or otherwise connected to the staticn'ar'y frame ofthe shelving structure.

According to the'invention, the said mechanism comprises for each movable shelving section F? a number (preferably a pair) of fixed guides or stationary track-forming means G (Figures 1 to 3) attached to the fixed piece of furniture M (or in the case of a shelving structure as shown in Figure 1, to the frame of the stationary shelving sectionsrand projecting upwardly to-a height substantially corresponding to the height of the upper shelves F. Each of said guides G comprises a substantially straight vertical portion l0,

a substantially straight horizontal portion l2 and an intermediate curved portion !4 connecting, without forming, any sharp angle, said vertical front portion ID and said horizontal upperportion 12. .The vertical front portion l0 arranged substantiallyrparallelandnear'to the front upright members of the side'frames projects downwardly to a suitable point and extends upward- 1y substantially tothe heightof the topof the movable shelving section F when the latter is in its upper position. The upper horizontal portion 12 extends forwardly from the rear end of the frame of the shelving structure, and the intermediate curved portion l4 may be considered as the rounding ofi of the angle formed by said vertical and horizontal portions.

Onthe other hand a complementary guide member G is arranged on each side of the movable shelving section F. According-to the embodiment shown in Figs. 2, 2a, 21), said guiding means G. is formed bymembers of the frame of the movable shelving section F. Said guiding of said curved portion [8. The lower portion I6 of the guiding. means G is substantially parallel to the upper. portion l2 of the stationary trackforming means G: the curve of the curved portion l8 of the guiding means G issimilar, reversed and inverted relative toithe curve'of the curved portion i of the stationary track forming meansG (according to the embodiment shown in Figs. 2, 2a and 212, said curved portions l8 and 14 respectively are represented by arcs with the radius R and B respectively) and the rear portion 29 of the guiding means G is substantially parallel to the front portion IQ of the trackforming means G.

The guiding means G arranged on the movable shelving section F are arranged for cooperation with supporting rollers P (only one being shown) rotatably arranged at a fixed point at the front of the shelving structure adjacent to the front portions i6 of the stationary track-forming means G. Said supporting rollers P being in rolling engagement with said guiding means G support the movable shelving section F during their engagement with the lower portion N5 of said guiding means.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the stationary track-forming means G are made of a hollow tubular member having a longitudinally extending slot 22. Furthermore, for a purpose to be described hereinafter, each hollow front portion is of the tubular stationary track-forming means G is provided'witlr a notch or. cut-out E i communicating with the interior of said hollow front portion.

On each-side of the movable shelving section F an upper engaging roller 3 is rotatably mounted on'a shaft at the upper rear portion of said movable shelving section F.- The shaft carrying the engaging roller B extends through the slot 22 of the hollow tubular track-forming means G into the interior of the latter so that the engaging roller B cooperating with the stationary trackforming means may ride within the latter...

Moreover; on each side of the movable shelving ection F a lower engaging roller B is rotatably arranged at the lower rear portion of said movable shelving section remote from the upper engagingroller B. A line drawn to connect the axes .of said rollers B and B with each other is parallel to the front portion Ii] of the stationary track-forming meansv G.

As will be apparent from above, when the movable shelving section F is superimposed over the stationary shelving section M as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the upper engaging roller B of the movable shelving section is in engagement with the rear end of the upper horizontal portion l2 of the stationary track-forming means G and the supporting roller P is in engagement with the front end of the lower portion E6 of the guiding means G' arranged on the movable shelving section F.

When it is desired to lower the movable shelv full lines in Fig. 2- into a lower position F shown in dash and dot lines in said Fig. 2, the movable shelving section is gripped by hand at the handle H and, at first, is pulled outwardly. During said outward movement of the movable shelving section F, the upper engaging roller B rides along the horizontal portion l2 of the stationary trackforming meansG until it reaches the position shown in Fig. 2a, whereupon it enters the curved portion I G- and rides along the latter until it reaches the position shown in Fig. 2?). At the same time, the lower portion of the movable shelving section F is supported and guided bv the supporting roller P cooperating at first with Moreover, shortly before'the movable shelving section F reaches theposition shown in Fig. 2b

' its lower engaging roller B enters the front portion It of the stationary track-forming means through the notch 24 for engagement with the latter.

Then, the movable shelving section F may be moved downwardly from the position shown in Fig. '21) into the position F shown in dash and dot lines in Fig. 2. During said downward movement both engaging rollers B and B ride along the vertical front portion ID of the stationary track-forming means G. In the lower position F, the movable shelving section is suspended from the front portion [0 of the stationary track-forming means G in the manner of a cantilever.

For a return of the movable shelving section from. the lower position F (Fig. 2) into its upper position F (Fig. 2) above described steps are taken in reversed order. j

As mentioned above, the portions l2 and iii of the stationary track-forming means G and guiding means G respectively are parallel to each other, the portions I0 and 29 of said track-forming means and guiding means are likewise parallel to each other and the curve of the curved portion [8 of the guiding means G is similar, reversed and inverted relative to the curveofthe curved portion 14 of the track-formingmeans G. Therefore, during above described displacement of the movable shelving section F'the latter is always moved parallel to itself, also when guided along a curved path. In Figs. 2 and 2a K indicates the path ofroller B"; in Fig. 211 K indicates the path of a point of the movable shelving section F near the handle H. The parallel movement of the movable shelving section F is a characteristic feature of theguiding mechanism according to the invention which will be referred to hereinafter as the reverse guides.

In order to facilitate the displacement of the movable shelving section, preferably a counterweight W is connected thereto. As shown, in Figure 3, to the lower part of theshiftable. shelving section F, flexible connecting means L such as a line, strap, band or the like, (or even a pair or a number of such flexible connecting means) is attached which may run over the supporting roller P and an idling roller P journalled at the rear of the shelving structure and carries at its lower end a weight W which, during the shifting of the shelving section F, runs along the rear part of the fixed piece of furniture M. When the upper shelving section Fis moved substantially from the position shown in Fig. 21) into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the weight W passes rearwardly of a lower guide pulley P, rolls or slides along an inclined guideway C and comes to rest near the front bottom part or socket Z of the lower furniture. Thus, when the upper movable shelving section F is superimposed over the stationary shelving section M the counterweight is inoperative and when the upper movable shelving section is first pulled outwardly, the operator does not need to lift the counterweight, and during the first part of the downward path he needs only to shift same along the bottom of the inclined guideway C. When on the contrary the movable shelving sectiontends to slide downwardlyonthe straight front portion In of the stationary track-forming means G, the counterweight is gradually lifted first along the ascending portion of the guideway C and at the end of the curved path said weight W comes to be freely suspended, so that it approximately balances the load of the movable shelving section, which is now suspended from the The roller B may leave or enter the interior of the hollow tubular track-forming means through a slot 24. It is apparent that the above roller pairs B,B cooperating with the stationary track-forming means G avoid any angular shifting of the movable shelvingsection F obliging same toremain always in true upright position, and be always displaced parallel to itself.

It isto be noted that in Figure 3 the weight W is simply attached to the line L or the like through a coiled spring S so that when the weight W reaches its lower position (which takes place when the upper piece of furniture has reached its upper level) it simply bears on the ground,

while the spring S by recoiling keepsthe line L suificiently tight to' avoid of same running oil the sheaves or rollers P, or otherwise running out of the guide members. On the other hand, when the upper piece of furniture is pulled out, the spring remains in its coiled position and begins to uncoil only-at the end of the horizontal path, during the shifting along of the curved guide part and the weight W is lifted only when the said piece of furniture is pulled down, at the end of its curved path.

It is apparent that the invention may be embodied in many different ways always based on the principle of the reversed guides, which might have a different shape, provided the fixed guidebe made symmetrical to the movable one and the diiferent straight guide branches be connected together by curved parts-of suitably ample radii.

What I claim is:

1. A shelving structure comprising in combination: stationary track-forming means for connec tion with a support, said stationary track -form ing means including an upper portion extending forwardly from the rear of said shelving structure and a front portion being a continuation of said upperportion and extending downwardly, supporting means fixedly disposed at the front of said shelving structure in a plane below the plane of said upper portion of the stationary trackforming means, a movable shelving section, engaging means mounted at the rear upper portion of said movable shelving section and cooperatively and shiftably engaged with said stationary track-forming means, and guiding means ar ranged on said movable shelving section, said guiring means including a lower portion extending rearwardly from the front of said shelving section and a rear portion being a continuation of said lower portion and extending upwardly, said lower portion of said guiding means being substantially parallel to said upper portion of said track-forming means, said rear portion of said guiding means being substantially parallel to said front portion of said track-forming means, and said supporting means being in cooperative and shiftable engagement with said guiding means and supporting said movable shelving section during an engagement with the lower portion of said guiding means. I

2. In a shelving structure as claimed in claim 1,

1 said stationary track-forming means being made of a hollowv tubular member having a longitudinally extending slot, and said engaging means extending through said slot and riding within said tubular. member.

3. In a. shelving structure as claimed in claim 1, said supporting means being in the shape of at least one roller rotatably mounted on a stationary point of the shelving structure.

4. In combination with a shelving structure as claimed in claim 1, a counter-weight, and means connecting said counter-weight to said movable shelving section. a

5. In combination with a shelving structure as claimed in claim 1, a counter-weight, and means connecting said counter-weight to. said movable shelving section, said counter-weight connection including means rendering the counter-weight substantially inefiective during the engagement of said engaging means with the forwardly extending upper portion of said stationary trackforming means.

6. In a shelving structure as claimed in claim 1,

- said supporting means being in the shape of at least one supporting roller rotatablyl mounted on a stationary point of the shelving; structure, a counter-weight, and flexible connecting means connected to said counter-weight and to said movable shelving section, said flexible connecting means being engaged with said supporting roller.

7. A shelving structure comprising in combination: stationary track-forming means for connection with a support, said stationary trackforming means including a substantially straight upper portion extending forwardly from the rear of said shelving structure, a curved portion being a continuation of said upper portion and a substantially straight front portion being a continuation of said curved portion and extending downwardly, supporting means fixedly disposed at the front of said shelving structure in a plane below the plane of said upper portion of the stationary track-forming means, a movable shelving section,

engaging means mounted at the rear upper portion of said movable shelving section and cooperatively and shiftably engaged with said stationary track-forming means, and guiding means arranged on said movable shelving section, said guiding means including a substantially straight lower portion extending rearwardly from the front of said shelving section, a curved portion being a continuation of said lower portion and a substantially straight rear portion being a continuation of said curved portion and extending upwardly, said lower portion of said guiding means being substantially parallel to said upper portion of said track-forming means, the curve of said curved portion of said guiding means being similar, reversed and inverted relative to the curve of said curved portion of said track-forming means, said rear portion of said guiding means being substantially parallel to said front portion of said track-forming means, and said supporting means being in cooperative and shiftable engagement with said guiding means and supporting said movable shelving section during an engagement with the lower portion of said guiding means. I

8. In a shelving structure as claimed in claim 7, said supporting means being arranged adjacent the straight front portion of said stationary trackforming means. l

9. A shelving structure comprising in combination: stationary track-forming 'meansfor connection with a support, said stationary trackforming means including an upper portion extending forwardly from the rear, of said shelving structure and a front portion being a continuation of said upper portion and extending downwardly, supporting means fixedly disposed at the front of said shelving structure in a plane below the plane of said upper portion of the stationary track-forming means, a movable shelving section, first engaging means mounted at the rear upper portion of said movable shelving section and cooperatively and shiftably engaged with said stationary track-forming means, guiding means arranged on said movable shelving section, said guiding means including a lower portion extending rearwardly from the front of said shelving section and a rear port-ion being a continuation of said lower portion and extending upwardly, said lower portion of said guiding means being substantially parallel to said upper portion of said track-forming means, said rear portion of said guiding means being substantially parallel to said front portion of said track-forming means, said supporting means being in cooperative and shiftable engagement with at least the lower portion. of said guiding means and supporting said movable shelving section during an engagement with the lower portion of said guiding means, and second engaging means mounted at the rear lower portion of said movable shelving section, said second engaging means being arranged below and remote from said first engaging means and being capable of cooperative and shiftable engagement with the front portion of said stationary track-forming means when said first engaging means engages said front portion of the trackforming means.

10. In a shelving structure as claimed in claim 9, said stationary track-forming means being made-of a hollow tubular member having a longitudinally extending slot, said first engaging means extending through said slot and riding within said tubular member, and said hollow tubular member having a notch communicating with its interior, said notch serving as a passage for said second engaging means soas to enable same to ride within said tubular member.

11. A shelving structure comprising in combination: stationary track-forming means for connection with a support, said stationary trackforming means including a substantially straight,

upper portion extending forwardly from the rear of said shelving structure, a curved portion being a continuation of said upper portion and a substantially straight front portion being a continuation of said curved portion and extending down-.

wardly, supporting means fixedly disposed at the front of said shelving structure in a plane below the plane of said upper portion of the stationary track-forming means, a movable shelving section, first engaging means mounted at the rear upper portion of said movable shelving section and cooperatively and shiftably engaged with said stationary track-forming means, guiding means secured to said movable shelving section, said guiding means including a substantially straight lower portion extending rearwardly from the front of said shelving section, a curved portion being a continuation of said lower portion and a sub stantially straight rear portion being a continuation. of said curved portion and extending up-,

wardly, said lower portion of said guiding means being substantially parallel to said upper portion of said track-forming means, the curve of said curved portion of said guiding means being similar. reversed and inverted relative to the curve- 8 of said curved portion of said track-forniin means, said rear portion of said guiding means being substantially parallel to said front portion of said track-forming means, said supporting -means being in cooperative and shiftable engagement with at least the lower portion of, said guiding means and supporting said movable shelving section during an engagement with the lower portion of said guiding means, and second engaging means mounted at the rear lower portion of said movable shelving section, said second engaging means being arranged below and remote from said first; engaging means and being capable of cooperative and shiftable engagement with the front portion of said stationary track-forming means when said first engaging means engages said front portion of the track-forming means.

12. In a shelving structure as claimed inclaim 11, said stationary track-forming means being made of a hollow tubular member having a longitudinally extending slot, said first engagingmeans extending through said slot and riding within said tubular member, and said hollow tubular member having a notch communicating-with its interior, said notch serving as a passage for said second engaging means so as to enable sameto ride within said tubular member.

13. In a shelving structure as claimed in claim 1, a frame constituting said support connected with said stationary track-forming means, and a stationary shelving section arranged in the-lower portion of said frame, the upper portion of said track-forming means being arranged above said stationary shelving section and extending forwardly from the rear of the shelving structure beyond the plane of the front of the stationary shelving section, and said movable shelving section being superimposed over said stationary shelving section when its engaging means is in engagement with the rear end of said upper portion of thetrack-forming means. 14. In a shelving structure as claimed in claim 7, a frame constituting said support connected with said stationary track-forming means, and a stationary shelving section arranged in the lower portion of said frame, the upper portion of said track-forming means bein arranged above said stationary shelving section, said upper portion and the curved portion of the track-forming means extending forwardly from the rear of the shelving structure beyond the plane of the front of the stationary shelving section, and said movable shelving section bein superimposed over said stationary shelving section when its engaging means is in engagement with the rear end of said upper portion of the track-forming means.

15. In a shelving structure as claimed in claim 9, a frame constituting said support connected with said stationary track-forming means, and a stationary shelving section arranged in the lower 1 portion of said frame, the upper portion of said track-forming means being arranged above said stationary shelving section and extending forwardly from the rear of the shelvingstructure beyond the plane of the front of the stationary shelving section, and said movable shelving section being superimposed over said stationary shelving section when its first engaging means is in engagement with the rear end of said upper portion of the track-forming means.

16. In a shelving structure as claimed in claim 11, a frame constituting said support connected with said stationary track-forming means, and a stationary shelving section arranged in the lower portion of said frame, the upper portion of said 9 10 track-forming means being arranged above said REFERENCES CITED Stationary shelving section said upper portion The following references are of record in the and the curved portion of the trash-forming me of this patent: means extending forwardly from the rear of the shelving structure beyond the plane of the front 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS of the stationary shelving section, and said mov- Number Name Date able shelving section being superimposed over 617965 Lippincott et a1 Jam 17, 1399 said stationary shelving section when its first 4 212 Lippincott Jan 9, 1900 engaging means is in engagement with the rear 714 20 Lippincott Nov. 5 1902 end of said upper portion of the track-forming m means. 1

MARIO ROGGERO. 

